CNN
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American football is back in London for the second consecutive week.
The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Week 5 International Battle. Each team is 3-1. It means that for the first time in 32 competitions played, a game in London features two teams with winning records.
It will also be the first time the Packers have played in London, making them the 32nd team to do so. Historically, the Giants have played well outside of the United States.
The team played the first regular season game in London in 2007 and are one of four teams to have had multiple wins and no losses in London.
For four weeks, the Giants enjoyed surprising success under new head coach Brian Daboll. As with any major change in a team, a period of adjustment is to be expected but by week 1, Daboll has proven his ability to guide this Giants team to victory.
That being said, the team has had a pretty light schedule so far, with the exception of their season opener against the Tennessee Titans.
The Giants easily beat the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, and lost their only loss of the season to the Cowboys without Dak Prescott in a game riddled with sloppy errors and missed scoring opportunities.
The Packers enter Week 5 after nearly losing to the New England Patriots and their third quarterback Bailey Zappe.
The Patriots led the Packers into overtime, when Rodgers led a 77-yard drive topped by a 31-yard field goal from Mason Crosby to seal the win.
The Packers emerged with the win, but were very close to what would have been an incredibly disappointing loss. The Patriots’ inexperienced rookie QB proved much harder to beat, while Rodgers had a dismal first half and again performed below his usual averages.
A win for Green Bay will require a full game performance from Rodgers. The Giants will look to pressure the four-time MVP as much as possible.
He has the league’s worst gap in passer rating when throwing unpressured (108.4) versus under pressure (28.6). New York has the ability to exploit this weakness, having blitzed on 41.9% of dropbacks (the second most in the NFL) and generated pressure on 29% of QB dropbacks (12th in the league).
For the Giants, a win would swing the pendulum more toward the “competitor” than the “contender.”
The Giants have mostly struggled over the past decade and haven’t had a winning season since 2016. This new team led by Daboll is the first taste Giants fans have had in quite a while. How they compete this week will shed some light on whether this team really has playoff potential.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback (1-3) Kenny Pickett makes his first career start on Sunday against heavyweight Buffalo Bills (3-1). The Bills won’t bother Pickett either.
Going into Week 5, Buffalo leads the league in pass defense, giving up the fewest yards and second fewest touchdowns through the air.
Who was the last rookie quarterback to defeat a team with the league’s best pass defense? According to NFL Research, Ben Roethlisberger with the Steelers in 2004.
On the opposite side, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the potential to etch his name further in the record books.
He needs just two touchdowns to pass Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the fourth most combined passes and touchdowns by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.
So far this season, he ranks second in the NFL with 12 assists and touchdowns combined. He has 146 combined touchdowns since entering the league in 2018.
Tune in Sunday at 1 p.m. ET to see Allen and Pickett in action.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz will face his former team, the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, on Sunday. Ertz played for the Eagles for more than eight seasons, including helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2018.
He was traded to the Cardinals last October after he and the Eagles couldn’t agree on a contract. This will be the first time Ertz has faced the Eagles in an opposing uniform.
The game also features the league’s two best quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray. Murray leads all quarterbacks with 18 rushing touchdowns, while Hurts is tied for second with 17.
Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Here’s how to catch these and other teams across the league in action, wherever you are.
Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus
Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN
Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN
Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN
Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports
United Kingdom: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5
United States: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime
